


Mending Broken Things

by mjsicard



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Dean and Castiel have a father/son relationship. It's not sexual., Hurt Castiel, Implied Child Abuse, Supernatural AU: Not Hunters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-16
Updated: 2013-06-17
Packaged: 2017-12-15 04:40:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/845428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mjsicard/pseuds/mjsicard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Supernatural AU: Dean Winchester finds six year old Castiel hiding behind a dumpster on his way home from Bobby's Salvage Shop. He takes him home and very quickly realized there's something different about him.<br/>In which Sam is still in school with Jess and Sam and Dean were never thrown into the supernatural world... until now.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Boy Behind the Dumpster

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so this is my very first attempt at writing fan fiction. I really hope you guys like it and leave comments at the bottom.
> 
> I know I did a crappy summary so hopefully this explains it a little better. The story is told in first person from Dean's point of view. He finds Castiel when he's walking home and takes him back to his place to care for him. As you'll see very quickly, Cas doesn't respond like a normal kid. Whether that's because he was abused or something else... you'll just have to wait and see.

I didn't typically walk home from the auto salvage yard where I worked, but sadly I wasn't able to get a cab, so I found myself walking the five miles back to my apartment. It also didn't help that it was raining, pouring actually. Just chalk it up to another exhausting Friday night. Running was pointless, there was nowhere to get out of the rain.

I was only a block away when I found him. Now I was a grown man, six foot two and pretty fit if I do say do myself. But when I heard a shuffling behind the dumpster while I was walking that night, it took all of my will power not to go sprinting down the street, squealing like a little school girl.

It's probably just a stray dog. I tried to convince myself. Then I heard a small cough. Despite my better judgment, I stepped off the sidewalk and closer to the dumpster.

"Hello?" I called hesitantly.

The shuffling stopped. Then there was a quiet sneeze and the shuffling returned again. I walked closer till I could touch the dumpster. Leaning to the left, I looked behind the dumpster.

It was a kid, no younger than six. He was covered in mud and trash, his rain soaked face staring fearfully up at me with wide blue eyes.

"Hey. You okay little man?"

The little boy was shaking.

"Where are your parents?" He didn't answer. I looked around but couldn't see anyone near. Running a hand through my wet hair, I returned my attention to the kid. He was sitting in a puddle of water, his dirty hair plastered to his face. I couldn't tell what color it was.

"What's your name?" I asked. The boy continued to stare miserably up at me. His feet shuffled closer to him and I noticed they were bare. His clothes were ripped and caked with dirt. I couldn't leave him here.

"Okay, come on." I held out my hand. "Let's get out of here."

His eyes shifted to my hand and he peered closely at it for several seconds. I was about to pull away but he grasped my hand, letting me pull him to his feet. He swayed, almost falling over again but I stilled him with a hand on his shoulder. He was a lot smaller than I had previously thought.

I took a step forward and the boy followed, his small cold hand clasped in mine. I looked down at him as we walked, his little feet cold and white on the wet cement. It was the longest walk of my life.

We finally made it to the apartment I was renting and I ushered him quickly inside, out of the rain. He stood in the doorway, quietly looking around with wide blue eyes, quivering and dripping dirty water onto the floor.

"You want to get cleaned up?" I asked. The kid continued look around, his eyes darting, never staying still longer than a second. I blew out a breath and walked over to the bathroom. The boy immediately followed, his feet sliding on the wet wooden floor.

"Here," I grabbed a towel from my cabinet. "You can take a shower while I try to figure out what to do with you."

I started to hand the boy the towel but stopped. He was staring around the bathroom like he'd never seen something like it before, his blue eyes studying everything they landed on, like he was trying to soak up the images.

"Do you want to get cleaned up?" I asked again. The boy returned his attention to me. He blinked at me and then looked around again.

I put the towel down on the counter and turned on the shower. The boy jumped and stared at the shower in amazement. He backed away and peered fearfully at the shower from behind my back. I looked back at the small boy, shaking behind me. What had I gotten myself into? I pushed down the plunger and let water come out the spout, filling the tub instead.

"Come on," I called gently. The boy edged closer. "You want to get in?"

The boy stared at the swirling water, watching the steam rise from its surface.

"Are you going to get changed?"

He didn't move.

Yep. I was going to have to do this. The boy didn't object when I took off his shirt, nor when I pulled off his pants and boxer shorts either. Taking his hand in mine, I coached him to the edge of the tub and lifted him in.

His blue eyes widened in surprise when he touched the water. He didn't move when I put him in but I could see his body relaxing.

"Do you want some bubbles?" I asked, not expecting an answer anymore. I poured in some hand soap. "When I was your age I loved bubbles. I use to fill the whole tub with them. My dad would get so mad at me some..." I trailed off. The boy was staring at the bubbles in wonder. I had never seen such fascination on a child's face before. He raised a hand slowly to his face to inspect the bubbles that clung to his skin. He jerked slightly when one popped and blinked furiously, looking all over his hand for the missing bubble. His interest only deepened as more bubbles disappeared from his hand and he stared at it in confusion. Had this kid really never seen a bubble before?

"Do you know how to shampoo your hair? I used to do it for my little brother when he was little, probably about your age when he started doing it himself." I was babbling as I filled my hand with the shampoo. "Finally wanted to do it himself. It's okay if you don't know! I was just asking." I started massaging the shampoo into the boy's hair and he relaxed even more, his head bobbing on his chest.

"I'm going to pour some water over your head now okay? Close your eyes." I rinsed the shampoo out of his hair. The boy coughed in surprise and shook his head. Fetching some soap from the shelf, I started scrubbing.

It wasn't very hard but the boy flinched. I immediately let up. There was a lot of dirt. When I got to his back, the soap revealed things I had never wanted to see. It was scared. The skin was broken in areas from recent beatings, black and blue everywhere else. Just then I noticed the little guy's wrists. They were scarred as well, little bracelet scars like he had been bound tightly and the restraints had cut into his skin.

"What'd they do to you little man?" I continued to rub the soap around, anger and sickness rising in my stomach.

It took me about forty minutes to get him fully cleaned up. I wrapped him in a towel and dried his dark brown almost black hair. The little guy didn't say a word the whole time. His eyes drooped sleepily.

"Let's see if I have something you can wear," I rubbed his shoulders through the towel and led him out of the bathroom. "My ex-girlfriend Lisa has a kid a few years older than you. He's ten, names Ben. I used to keep some clothes around for when he visited. That kid always found some way to get dirty."

I found the old clothes and held them up for inspection. "They might be a bit big but they're way better than any of my clothes. I can try washing yours but I have a feeling they won't last long. They're unraveling pretty fast." I continued talking as I pulled the shirt down over his head, using my hands to drag his little arms through the sleeves.

"You can sleep on the couch for tonight until I figure out something. We'll talk in the morning. Well, I'll talk. You can just listen and nod if you agree." I paused and looked at this big-eyed, silent, trusting child.

"Can you do that for me? Nod?"

No response. Those unnervingly blue eyes stayed on me.  I was pretty sure the guy hadn't blinked in the last five minutes.

"Okay then," I steered him towards the couch. The way the little guy let himself be moved around without the slightest resistance was worrying, as was his silence.

"Are you deaf?" I wondered out loud.

The boy stared curiously at me. "Nah that doesn't seem right. Maybe another language?" His face stayed blank.

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Umm..." I pointed a finger at him. "Just umm... Stay there for a second. Okay? I'll be right back. I'm just going to get some blankets."

I walked away, leaving the small boy standing motionless by the couch. I grabbed his clothes from the bathroom and some spare blankets and pillows from the cabinets. Turning around, I jumped about five feet in surprise.

"Jesus," I dropped everything, my heart pounding frantically in my chest. "Don't do that!"

The boy blinked several times in obvious shock and took a step back. His head tilted quizzically at me then his eyes dropped to his feet, his face quickly shifting into sadness and shame. His bottom lip quivered.

"Hey hey no. It's okay. Shoot! I'm sorry. That was my bad." I scrambled to gather everything back up.

"Let's go back to the couch okay? Come on, don't cry. It's okay."

His eyes stayed filled with tears but he followed me back over.

I laid a sheet down on the couch and propped up some pillows at one end. Then I layered the other blankets on top. I looked back at the boy and patted the makeshift bed. He stared at it quizzically, tilting his head sideways, blue eyes following the creases as I flattened them out.

"You can sleep here," I patted the bed encouragingly. "Come on."

I took his hand again pulled him over. He looked unbelievably young in his oversized clothes, pants rolled up and sleeves hanging past his fingers. I sat him on the bed and his eyes drooped further, fluttering as he tried desperately to stay awake. I pushed on his shoulders gently until he was lying down. Then I pulled the blankets up to his chin and tucked him in. "There you go. All nice and warm."

He blinked at me sleepily.

I picked up his clothes from the floor and examined the tags, hoping to find his size. What I found was infinitely better. A name.

"Castiel?" I asked.

The boy's eyes flew open and stared at me wide eyed.

"Is that your name?" I paused and spoke again slowly. "Castiel?"

The boy gave a small nod, his chin burying in the blanket.

"My name is Dean," I pointed to myself. "Dean."

Castiel's eyes fluttered shut and he sank deeper into the couch. Just when I was sure he was a sleep, he whispered something.

"Dean," he sighed, curling up in the blankets. And then I lost him to the world of dreams.

 

As soon as I was absolutely sure Castiel was out, I went for the phone. I'd so quickly adapted to the boy's silence that his sudden breaking of it rattled me more than I'd like to admit.

My brother picked up on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Sam."

"Dean?" I heard him yawn on the other end.

"Hey I umm... have a situation."

"Can't this wait till morning?" Sam yawned again. "It's like twelve at night and I have a huge test tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? It's a Saturday."

"Dean, I'm in college. Some classes are on the weekends."

"That sucks cause this... this really can't wait."

I could hear Sam become more alert on the other end. "Okay, what's up? You okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine," I glanced over at Castiel sleeping peacefully on the couch. "It's this kid I'm worried about." I told him everything.

"Dean, you have to call the police."

I rolled my eyes. "I know Sam but its midnight. I'm letting the kid get a good night’s sleep. It looks like he hasn't had one in a while."

Sam sighed on the other end.

"How's Jess?" I asked.

"Good. She's sleeping."

I grinned into the mouthpiece. "Sleeping?"

"Yeah, like I should be."

"You sure she's sleeping?"

"Yeah she's right..."

I waited until he got it. "Guess it's a home run then?"

"Damn you Dean."

I snickered into the phone.

"My relationships aren't your business."

"You really like this one?"

Sam was quiet for a second. "Yeah Dean. I really like her. She's incredible."

"You'll bring her by sometime soon?"

"Sure thing."

"Okay, night Sammy."

"You too Dean. Better call the police first thing in the morning, otherwise they can arrest you for kidnapping.

"Bye Sam." I ended the call and shook my head, a smile still on my face.

I glanced over at my guest. He was fast asleep. I carefully made my way into my room and pulled off my wet clothes. Quickly taking a shower, I dried off and changed, leaping into my own bed. My exhausted head hit the pillows and I was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone likes it so far! I'll try and update it by tomorrow. Please leave any comments, questions, or reviews at the bottom. I'd appreciate anything you have to offer!


	2. Cooking Eggs and Tying Sneakers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for everyone who hit my story yesterday and today, I really appreciate it. Hope everyone enjoys chapter 2 as much as I enjoyed writing it.

I woke up groggy and disoriented to my alarm. Eyes opening, I bit down on my lip to keep from yelling in shock. Castiel was standing by the side of my bed, watching me.

"Dean?" He asked, his head tilting to the side slightly, his fluffy brown hair sticking up in all directions in a ridiculously cute way.

I couldn't help but smile back at him, "Castiel."

He blinked and then a grin stretched across his face, almost as though he was trying to copy me.

I got out of bed and he studied me like I was the most interesting creature he had ever seen in his short life. I pushed him gently out the door while I got dressed and came back out.

"You want something to eat? I'm not that good of a cook, but I can make eggs if you want some." I started into the kitchen and he followed me like a second shadow. He was watching me closely, as if he were taking mental notes on the entire process of making eggs. His eyes followed every movement, blinking in amazement. He reached out a hand towards one of the eggs and accidentally knocked it off the counter. It broke on the floor, yoke seeping out through the cracks.

Castiel stared blankly down at the egg, his hand frozen in the process of trying to catch it. He looked at me and I was surprised to see the shock and horror in his face.

"Cas, it's fine. It's just and egg."

Castiel looked quickly between me and the egg several times, his face broken like its shell. His little hands started shaking.

"Cas. Look," I held up another egg. "I have more."

Castiel looked confused at the egg and reached out. I placed the egg carefully in his hand, closing his fingers gently around it. He examined it closely, holding it inches away from his face. Finally he handed it back. He looked back down at the egg at his feet and bent down, hand reaching as though he was going to pick it up.

The first thing that popped into my head was that he was going to try and eat it.

"Wait, Cas stop!"

His hand touched the broken egg and suddenly it was whole again. My mouth hung open as he picked the now fine egg from the ground and held it to his face. Seeming satisfied with his work, he handed it back to me.

I was too startled to grab it. He dropped it into my hand and it rolled off my fingertips, splattering on the floor again.

Castiel frowned down at the egg and then looked up at me with a face that clearly said _now look what you did. I just fixed that_. He stared at it a moment longer before returning his attention to the pan, glancing up expectantly at me.

I recovered quickly and cracked some eggs into the bowl. As I finished the eggs I could almost pretend that nothing had happened, almost.

 

Castiel had absolutely no idea what to do with the utensils I gave him. After watching me eat for a few moments he attempted to do the same. He held his fork and knife with the same hand, becoming ever more confused and frustrated as he attempted to feed himself.

Finally I couldn't let him suffer anymore. "Here," I came up behind him and gently rearranged the utensils in his hands. I moved his hand down slowly and helped him stab a piece of the egg, carefully guiding the piece back up to his face. He opened his mouth and I heard his teeth click as he bit down on the metal fork.

I pulled the fork away with his hand still holding it. His lips stayed closed, leaving the food inside. Castiel let out a little noise of happiness as he chewed then swallowed. His hand moving by himself now he forked more egg into his mouth. I smiled and released his hands, stepping back around the table.

Castiel's legs swung under his chair as he ate silently. His eyes closed in what could only be a face of pure delight as he savored each bite. What kid hadn't eaten eggs before? I had a moment of panic where I wondered if Cas was somehow allergic, but after he polished of his plate and didn't keel over dead, I chalked it up to vegan parents.

 

I cleaned up the kitchen and redressed Castiel in some real clothes. He held carefully still as I dressed him, not misbehaving in the slightest. I buttoned up the coat and smiled as I looked at him. He was a very cute kid, looking ever younger in the too big clothes.

I slipped the sneakers on and tied them tightly. Castiel watched my fingers move with interest. I looked up and caught him watching.

"Do you want to try?" I asked, pointing to the other shoe. He looked curiously at the bowknot I had tied and then at the laces lying limply in the floor. He bent down and studied his feet, face frowning in concentration. Reaching down slowly, he touched the tied sneaker with a finger. It became instantly unraveled.

I stared at the two untied shoes and then looked up at him. Castiel blinked, a small hesitant smile forming on his face. I retied the shoes and pulled the rain coat hoodie over his head.

 

We walked the two miles to the police station in silence. Castiel never let go of my hand. His blue eyes wandered everywhere, studying the buildings and trees and cars. He slid closer to me every time we passed a person.

We stopped at a cross walk and a lady smiled at me and looked down at Cas. "What a beautiful child."

Castiel turned away and hugged my leg, hiding his face in the bottom of my coat. I forced a smile on my face and rubbed the back of his head soothingly.

We made it to the police station without anything going wrong, other than the fact that I was seriously starting to worry this kid had never seen the light of day.

Cas sat as close to me as he could manage, his eyes flickering fearfully to every person that passed, almost like he was afraid of seeing someone. Finally he became distracted by my hand resting on my leg. He played with my fingers, bending them slowly like he was trying to figure out how they worked.

"Dean Winchester?" A woman called.

Castiel looked up in interest.

"That'd be us," I stood up. Castiel hopped down from his seat and took my hand, following me and the social worker into the other room.

I sat down in one of the chairs and looked at the woman. Castiel climbed up into the chair next to me, his legs swinging as he studied his shoes. I remembered how he had untied them this morning and prayed he'd have the sense not to do it here.

"Joe," the woman held out her hand.

I shook it. "Dean."

"And who might this be?" She asked Cas.

"Castiel," I answered for him.

"Is that your name sweetheart?" She asked. "Castiel? I like that name."

Castiel stared blankly at her.

"He doesn't talk a lot," I offered.

Joe silenced me with a look. "Castiel? Honey? Can you tell me how old you are?"

Cas blinked rapidly.

"Okay, how do you feel?" She pulled out a chart with faces on them, showing different emotions. "See I'm happy." She pointed to a smiling face. "Are you happy Castiel?"

Castiel studied the board, his legs stilling. He lost interest after about five seconds and started looking around the room again.

Joe dropped the board and frowned at him. "Does he speak English?" She asked me.

"You know," I shook my head, "I honestly don't have a clue."

She nodded. "Anything else you can tell me?"

"Yeah," I glanced quickly at Castiel to see if he was paying attention. He wasn't. "He has S C A R S all over his back and wrists." I spelled out the words I didn't want Cas to hear. "I'm pretty sure he was A B U S E D."

Joe's face hardened. "Sadly that's usually the case with runaways."

She looked down at some papers in front of her. "I can put him in a shelter for now and see what I can do about finding a relative." She got up. "Come on Castiel. Let’s go find you a place to stay."

Castiel looked up in alarm. "Dean," he said, looking at me.

"I'm sorry Castiel. You can't stay with Dean."

Castiel frowned. "Dean," he repeated.

"You know," I rubbed the back of my neck. "I don't mind keeping him till you can find a relative. Maybe I can even get some more information for you."

Joe studied me carefully. "What do you know about raising a child?"

I bristled but tried very carefully not to show it. "Well, I practically raised my little brother. My ex-girlfriend had a kid. We lived together for a while and I cared for him."

Joe frowned and looked at Castiel. His wide blue eyes were staring at her intently.

"What do you want Castiel?" She asked. "Do you want to come with me," she pointed to herself, "Joe or," she pointed at me, "Dean. Joe or Dean."

"Dean," Castiel repeated.

Joe sighed and glared up at me. "I'll be sending people by your place to check on him. If I find out you've hurt this boy in any way I'll skin you alive. Got it?"

I nodded. "Don't worry. Cas and I are going to have a blast. Right Cas?"

Castiel looked at me and nodded once.

Joe passed me some paper to fill out and Cas watched me carefully, eyes following my pen across the pages.

"What?" I asked him. "Do you like the pen?"

Cas blinked and nodded once, his hand reaching out to take it. He held it in his fist, frowning as he tried to rearrange his fingers the correct way.

"Here," I said gently. I held his hand carefully, repositioning his fingers on the pen. Moving his hand over to the paper, I helped him write CASTIEL on the line where it asked for the child's name. We finished and I let go. He stared at the writing and touched it with a finger, smudging the ink L. He looked up at me and I smiled down at him. He grinned and handed the pen back, then returned his attention to his swinging feet.

I glanced up and saw Joe studying me, her face softened. I passed the paper back to her and got up.

"Ready Cas?"

Cas hopped down from his seat and immediately reached for my hand. I let him take it, his small fingers warm in mine.

"Dean, take this." Joe handed me a small business card.

"Thanks miss..." I studied the card. "Singer. You wouldn't happen to be related to a Bobby Singer now would you?"

"Yeah. Bobby's my stepdad. How do you know him?"

"He's my boss," I laughed. "I work at his salvage shop."

"Guess I'll have to check in with him then. Make sure you don't have any skeletons in the closet."

"If I did I'd hide them there. That place is like a maze sometimes."

Joe frowned at me as Cas and I walked out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked it. As always, leave anything you want to say in the comments, I would love to hear from you guys. Sadly I'm not sure when I'll be able to update chapter 3 but will try to do so ASAP. Hope everyone is having an amazing summer. ~Macie


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